The administration, or method of delivery, of pharmaceutically active agents can be by oral administration utilizing syrups, tablets, and dosage delivery films. Of these drug delivery methods, dosage delivery films have proven particularly effective for a class of patients with phagophobia, a fear of swallowing, pnigophobia, a fear of choking, and dysphagia, difficulty swallowing. In dosage delivery film applications, a pharmaceutically active agent can be contained in a dosage delivery film which dissolves within the mouth of the patient, delivering the pharmaceutically active agent buccally or sublingually, obviating the need to swallow the pharmaceutically active agent. Further, the use of dosage delivery films may promote greater bioavailability of the pharmaceutically active agent, because the pharmaceutically active agent can be delivered directly to the capillaries of the mouth, and thereby, the bloodstream. This method of delivery avoids the need for the pharmaceutically active agent to be absorbed by the stomach, and further avoids the first-pass effect of the liver, which can reduce bioavailability of the drug when given in tablet or liquid form.
With the legalization of marijuana in several states and the emerging promise of extracts from various species of Cannabis as natural pharmaceutical active agents, methods of delivery of the Cannabis extracts are of interest. Cannabinoid extracts derived from species of Cannabis have been shown to be effective treatments for glaucoma, epilepsy, Dravet's syndrome, cancer, anxiety, Alzheimer's, muscle spasms, pain from multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, pain from arthritis, lupus, Parkinson's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, pain and nausea accompanying chemotherapy, anorexia, and drug dependency and withdrawal. Currently, cannabinoids are often ingested as a component of an edible composition, whether as solids or liquids, or by inhalation of smoke from burning the leaves of or extracts obtained from the Cannabis plant.
Each of these methods of delivery can have certain limitations or drawbacks. Inhalation of the smoke can irritate the lungs, leading to adverse health effects. Ingestion can reduce efficacy due to malabsorption across the gastrointestinal tract, the first-pass effect of the liver, or molecular modifications occurring during these processes. These limitations may be reduced or inapplicable to dosage delivery films, which can be an effective method for delivering cannabinoids.
Therefore, there would be an advantage in dosage delivery compositions which can entrain a greater weight percentage of cannabinoid by comparison to conventional dosage delivery compositions while remaining formable for production of a dosage delivery film which effectively delivers cannabinoids buccally or sublingually to increase bioavailability of the pharmaceutically active agent.